Defense Mechanism


 Objectives

At the end of the session the learner will be able to :
 Define defense mechanism
 Describe the characteristics of defense mechanism
 Explain the types of defense mechanism
 Defense Mechanism

 Introduction:
 The term “Defense Mechanism” was first used by
Sigmund Freud in his paper “The Neuro-Psychoses
of defense”(1894).
 In his psychoanalytical theory, Freud explained a
defense mechanism.

 Definition

“A defense mechanism is a mental process of self –
deception that reduces our awareness of threatening or
anxiety producing thoughts, wishes or memories.”

“A person uses different psychological mechanisms

which help to endure the challenges of life is called
defense mechanism.”
 Characteristics

• They maintain a sense of wellbeing and safety.
• They may contribute towards formation of
personality traits.
• They operate unconsciously.
• They may be episodic or become habitual.
• They help individuals cope with their internal and
external state of anxiety and distress.



 Sublimation

Transformation of negative emotions into positive
actions, behavior, or emotions.
Examples:
A teenage boy with strong competitive and
aggressive feelings becomes a football player.

 Compensation

Compensation is a process of psychologically
counterbalancing perceived weakness by emphasizing
strength in other areas .
It may be positive or negative.
Example:
A student who fails in his studies may
compensate by becoming the college champion in
athletics.
 Repression

Repression is a process of unconscious forgetfulness of
our unpleasant experiences.
Repression is the involuntary blocking of unpleasant
feelings and experiences from one’s awareness.
Examples:
An accident victim nearly dies but remembers
none of the details of accident.

 Substitution

It is a mechanism by which tension or anxiety reduced
by replacing the unachieved goal with achieve goal.
Example:
A student who has not been able to get
admission to the MBBS course may try to substitute it
with a course of physiotherapy or nursing.
 Intellectualization

It is an attempt to avoid expressing actual emotions
associated with a stressful situation by using the
intellectual processes of logic, reasoning and analysis.
Examples:
isolation, rationalization, magical thinking

 Rationalization

Unconsciously justifying one’s feelings, thoughts that
are unreasonable and unacceptable in reality in order to
seek relief from anxiety or guilt is called rationalization.
Example:
A student who cheats on test may say: only
cheated on a few questions ,I know most of the
answers.
 Introjection

The values and characteristics of significant persons are
incorporated in one’s personality.
Example:
A teenager adopts the style of a cinema star.
 Projection

Projection occurs when an individual blame others for
his\her own difficulties.
Person s own unacceptable feelings and thoughts are
expressed as they are due to others.
Example:
A surgeon who did mistake in operation may
insist that it happened because theatre nurse and ward
boy did their task badly.

 Displacement

Displacement in which negative feelings are
transferred from the original source of emotion to a less
threatening object.
Example:
A man who gets anger on his boss, but can not
express his feelings to his boss for fear of being fired.
He instead comes home and start argument with his
wife.

 Regression

 Individual going away to an early stage of
development of stress is called repression.
 Example:
 Due to college stress xyz start sleeping.

 Denial

Denial is the process of escaping from unpleasant
realities by ignoring their existence.
Examples:
patient denies that his physician diagnosis of
cancer and keeps seeking another opinions.

 Fixation

In this stage a person is unable to move through a
particular stage is called fixation.
Example:
 Thumb sucking in adult age .
 An unmarried, middle aged man still depends on
his mother to provide his basic needs.
 Reaction Formation

It is defined as unconscious transformation of
unacceptable impulse into exactly opposite attitudes,
feelings or behaviors.
Example:
Women who actually dislike her mother in law
hide her feelings by being always nice to her.
 Suppression

Suppression is involuntary blocking of unpleasant
feelings and experiences from one’s awareness to avoid
discomfort and anxiety.
Example:
A patient may refuse to consider his difficulties
by saying that he does not want to talk about it.
 Fantasy

Fantasy is an imagination in which a person escape
from frustration by imaginary satisfaction.
Example:
A person want to look good and pretending to
yourself that he is one of the movie stars he read about.
 Dissociation

Dissociation is a mechanism that allows mind to
separate certain memories or thoughts from normal
consciousness.
Example:
Partial amnesia
 

Thank You